Globetrotting with third-world passport since 2006.

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About the Korean fever

People would probably hate me for this post. But what the hell. This is just me trying to speak up my mind and please please if you’re too fanatic of your Kpop fever until it’s impossible for you to accept that people has different point of view, then I won’t care.

So yeah, it’s not a secret I’m not into Korean while almost everyone around me are soooo into Korean things. Even my bestfriend, Ulen is crazy about Korean and I’m still befriending her. So take note that this is not a hate post.

I used to HATE South Korea (with capital letters). Why? I’m not trying to be anti-mainstream while secretly love them. And I am not sure if I’m still hating them now because it all happened long time ago.

It all happened in 2002 when Italian National Team was defeated with serious cheat on the world cup by Korean national team, supported by Korean board of referees, in South Korea. I was thinking how could one country is so vain and delusional and hypocrite just for a world’s recognition? If you watched 2002 world cup and follow football news back then, you’d understand what I mean.

After that there was asian games (if I’m not wrong) when Indonesian cyclist was being cheated by South Korean cyclist and costed the athlete the title. I was so mad and I thought all Koreans are manipulative hypocrite liar. And and and… Koreans eat Dogs! Yeah, dog meat is very popular in South Korea! (This is probably a very narrow minded lame excuse because come on, Chinese also eat dog meat and I’m such a jerk of generalizing them but this is still one of the reason.)

I know I was narrow minded. But give me a break, I was 16 years old, ok?

A couple years ago (around college time), the Korean fever started by the series Boys before flower and all the Jpop fans I knew turned to become Kpop fans. I hated this fact because I was one of the Jpop fans even though I wasn’t a hardcore fan, but I do love Japan until now. =)

I never really put attention on Kpop since I had this unchangeable dogma in my mind that Koreans suck. I also read a lot of kaskus seeing that all Koreans do plastic surgery and sooo will do anything to get fame.

I went to travel and saw Korean girls play on the beach, but once their faces were splashed by water, they would go back to their purses at once and FIX THEIR MAKE UP! Geez!!! insecure much? So yeah, I was so stereotyping them.

The hardest part was… almost all my girl friends love KPop and Koreans guys, even my sister and Bandi’s sisters. So… I gave it a try. I asked one of my friend who had a western taste of series to give me the best Korean series she could find so she gave me Coffee Prince. She said that since I loved Coffee and the series showed a strong feminine role and not the pretty fake plastic ones. (Sorry to say plastic too. I’m not against plastic surgery, but not a fan too.)

What’s the verdict? I like it!

Coffee Prince is (not so) original and lively. Cute theme and setting and the guy character is hot. (yeah, I’m still a normal girl who would stay watching TV because the guy is hot!) And I must say, Koreans could act!

I even enrolled for a Korean dance class, because they said Koreans are good dancer (this is true! One Korean guy danced soooo impressive in front of me in a club at Bali. He was so freaking awesome!) so I tried doing what Koreans do best at, but then I got bored of the cutey sexy dancing attitude which reallly didn’t go well with my attitude and probably because I didn’t have enough interest of the subject. So I stopped on the 3rd week.

So, I’m not anti Koreans! It’s not that I don’t want to watch Korean shows at all or I didn’t try. Sometimes I watch running men with Bandi. It’s just that I didn’t enjoy them. It’s individual preference. My first opinion about them is that they are vain and hypocrite and well, it’s kind of true. Koreans are famous of being vain. They are so obsessed about their looks. No offense. Americans are obsessed too I know, but American didn’t cheat on Italy so yeah, I don’t care. Haha!

Hey, I understand with all these Korean fever. I am always and will always be obsessed with anything Italian. I learned Italian language, listened to Italian songs, cooked Italian food so I am not judging people who loves Korea just because Korean people do plastic surgery. What am I talking about, Italians are racist and violent.

So the bottom line is… I’m not anti Korea, but please understand my position. Sometimes it’s really hard to not mocking Koreans when your girlfriends were starting to talk about it and you were the only one left behind on conversation. On the karaoke room when everyone were singing Korean song, I was the only one who didn’t know it. And it made me hate Korea more and more.

It just happen to be unlucky that I hate this certain country and years after than there’s a boom for their boybands and girbands. And I hateee the persona they have created: to always look perfect, skinny and act cute.And how they’ve affected so many teenage girls to try so hard to be like them. I just think that’s not the best value I want teenagers to be. The best thing that could come out of it is that now a lot of people learn how to dance and that’s great. So yeah, I’m not 100% against this.

Once again, this is not a hate post. This is just one of those posts when I’m too lazy to explain to so many friends asking me to tag along to this Korean concert or visiting certain mall where [insert any korean girl band’s name] performed for free why I don’t want to go. I used to say “Kpop is not my interests” but then it came out wrong with the “whaaaat?” and as if it was the same sin as not liking Backstreet boys back in the days.

Hey, if Italian boy bands happen to be in the fever now, I would be so following the crowds! So really, it’s not about their looks or the dance moves or the acting cute things that bothered me the most, it’s the fact that they are Koreans. Oops, that came out wrong. I’m not racist, seriously. Argh, the more I explain, the more it’s getting worse.

Bottom line is, I am not into Korean Pop. AT ALL. And I still want my friends to think I’m cool and don’t stop hanging out with me.

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31 thoughts on “About the Korean fever”

Apart from it’s stunning economic success and geopolitical issues, Korea is Terra Incognita to me. And about Kpop I’m ignorant. I’m even pretty sure it’s non-existent in the pop scene over here. But I agree with you on that Italy – Korea match though. Yet according to what I recall from that match you should blame the unbelievably corrupt/blind referee rather that the Korea’s national soccer team of thet World Championship.

By the way, we definitely need to have a hard talk about Italian football :). It’s clear you’re a dedicated fan. And I’m not. Brazil, yes. FC Barcelona, yes. I can’t deny there are and were great Italian players, great Italian teams too. I even admired AC Milan in the late eighties ( that’s when Gullit, Van Basten and Rijkaard were in the squad). But in my strong opinion Italy’s style of playing generally has been effective but really, really boring and dull. Lacklustre, without doing honour to the glorious football sport.

Hahahaha yeah I should have blamed the referee but hey i was a teenager so I blamed the easiest target. And FYI the referee was rumored to be bribed by the Korean squad officials.
Anywayyy, my dad was a fan of trio dutchmen in Milan back then. I’m not really updated about recent football, but you should talk hardcore football with Bandi. Football is basically his life.
Number one football, and then food, and then me. I settled to be in top three. :p

I’m not into KPop as well. I don’t fancy guys who wears make up, and Korean guys wears way too much make up. Although my daughter is fascinated by Girls Generations, no matter how hard I try to brainwash her with Taylor Swift. I guess the pinkiness and the dance moves won her over.

BUT… I do love Korean food, they’re yummy! And I went to South Korea on April, and it’s beautiful and awesome! Would love to go back there again.

I am *as what I usually say* into K-Pop *so freaking much, I might add*
but at first I was “What the hell is XXXX” or “Eh? Korean has dramas too?” and finally to “Endless Love is a Korean drama??!! really?!! I thought it was a Chinese drama!” when some of my friends get addicted to them
And how exactly I start to like them is very questionable… you see, I was 13 or 14 at that time, and my friends who like DBSK were always acting like they were married with the members and at our study tour days all they were saying were like “I wonder what my hubby was doing ryte now?” “I know! He is acting/dancing/singing/whatsoever”
If the term was known already at that time I’d say that they are very ‘alay’ lol
I think what attracted me to Korean Pop are their dramas *their GOOD old dramas, the ones lately are so lame!* like My Girl, or Sassy Girl Chun Hyang, or Lovers in Paris, Endless Love, Full House and Prince Hours XD
And next I met those cute boys *yeah, you got me, I love pretty boys rather than manly boys lol* of INFINITE and Teen Top and now BtoB and I think I can’t love them more lol
okay, this comment is a total rambles lol!!!!
p.s. I also love *and envy* their internet speed!

Hahaha im not a kpop fans also. If i try to watched their drama series maybe i’ll like them (anw i am easy to impressed LOL), but i never a fan of their boyband/girlband. Just not my preferences. some friends of mine, guy friends which are a hardcore fans of SNSD, have tried to show me some girlband/boyband video, but im not interested hahaha

Hey May, just read this entry and I know we’ve been saying this back and forth but OMG we’re twinsies!! LOL. I will never ever ever understand the Korean-craze. Seriously. I cannot handle the language (annoys my ear), the men with make up, the stupid stupid songs, and don’t even let me start on that guy who sings Gangnam Style.